Although the site of the meeting had been known amongst Bilderberg sleuths for weeks, police confirmation appears to diminish any chances that the location was a red herring designed to throw activists off the scent.

“A Hertfordshire Police spokesman confirmed the event was taking place but declined to comment on operational policing details,” reports the Watford Observer.

The spokesman added that the force would “facilitate people who want to undertake peaceful protest.”

The police’s insistence that demonstrations will be allowed (despite a “security exercise” which is expected to surround the hotel grounds and keep prying eyes away), bolsters the view that Bilderberg has learned from previous years when protesters and journalists were treated with disdain, leading to negative press attention.